Unexpected Surprises
by MellyKen
Summary: A New Chapter contest entry. A fun night out leaves Sookie with more than she expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Entry for a New Chapter Contest**

**Title: **Unexpected Surprises

**Characters: **Sookie, Eric, Pam

**Word Count: **3976

**Pen Name: **MellyKen

**Beta: **CarolinaGirl96a and A Redhead Thing

**Status: **New Writer

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, they aren't mine. They belong the Charlaine Harris, but I'm going to play with them for a little while.

**To see all the other entries please visit the C2: http:/www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/community/A_New_Chapter_Contest/84745**

Author note:

Thanks so much to both of my awesome betas. I was rushed at the end and you guys made sure I got this done on time, you are made of win. Special thanks goes to EtheHunter, without her prompting I never would have entered this.

I hope you all enjoy it. :)

I walked through the office floating above cloud nine. I'm sure the smile I was wearing was ridiculous, but I didn't care. I felt great. I dropped my bag on my desk and headed to my best friend's office. When I knocked on the door, Pam waved me in from where she was on the phone. I snooped around her bookcase, while I waited for her to finish her call.

I grinned when I heard her tear into whoever she was talking to, you did not want to get on Pamela Northman's bad side.

Finishing my perusal, I sat down to wait. Looking at Pam, with her reputation as a ball busting no nonsense bitch, you'd never know that she hated the black suits and 3inch heels that she wore to work. They were camouflage, what everyone expected from a tough bitch. No one would believe that when she went home, she'd be changing into a a twinset and pencil skirt.

Finally hanging up the phone, Pam took a second to stare at me before leaning forward.

"Sookie Stackhouse, you got fucked."

It wasn't even a question.

I blushed and nodded, a grin splitting my face.

"Finally!" Pam crowed.

See, it had been over a year since I'd been with anyone other than myself, and a few toys. That's how long it'd been since my fiancee left me.

John Quinn and I met in college. He was my first, and we were together for several years. After we got engaged, we decided we wanted a family. Not feeling the need to wait for the wedding, I went off the pill and we started trying.

I had no problem getting pregnant. It was staying that way that proved difficult.

I had three miscarriages. With each one, Quinn became more and more sullen. I knew he blamed me.

He made sure I knew it was my fault, that I was "defective," and that he couldn't spend his life with a woman who even God didn't see fit to give children to, before he left me.

Pam was there for me through it all.

So it was no surprise that she cheered me on, when I decided to go with my friend Amelia, to a club this weekend.

Which is where I met him. He was just what I needed. Tall, gorgeous, and looking for a simple, no complications, one night stand. Hell, it didn't even last the night. We had sex in his car, something Quinn would _never_ have done, before heading to my place. He stayed a couple of hours, and then left before sunrise. It was just what I needed.

"So, are you going to see him again?" Pam asked, after dragging all the juicy details from me.

I shook my head. "I only got his first name." I was just a bit disappointed, seeing as he was FAR better in bed than Quinn was.

"Well, at least you are getting back into the game." Pam was always my personal cheer leader, at least as far as my sex life was concerned.

Wanting to move away from my own drama, I asked "So, what happened with you this weekend?"

Pam just rolled her eyes. "Asshole was back in my spare room this weekend."

Asshole is how Pam refers to her brother.

He was, from what I have heard, a piece of work. Apparently, he's something of a manwhore. Recently he was supposed to be living with a woman, Sophie, in New Orleans, but they had some sort of open relationship where they frequently slept with other people. I'd never be able to understand that sort of thing.

So every now and then, his girlfriend would kick him out and he'd show up to crash at Pam's house. Before you get any ideas, Pam insists her brother is not a bum. He runs a few very successful clubs in New Orleans, and has been thinking of opening one here in Shreveport. He just has a love for women, and can't seem to commit.

"I swear," Pam was saying. "One day, that boy is going to go toe up for a girl who won't take his shit, and I just pray I am there to see it happen."

I had to laugh. From all Pam had told me, that was something that would probably never happen.

"It was weird though, he went out Friday and Saturday, then went back home on Sunday, saying he was leaving Sophie and moving back." She shrugged. "At least he's finally leaving that skank. Although I do wonder what happened this weekend to make him decide to move here."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was weird. But I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth."

Later that afternoon I was back in Pam's office, dropping off the latest project file. As I turned from putting the file on her desk, I knocked over one of the pictures she had sitting on the corner.

I glanced at the photo of Pam and what must be her brother, before I took a double take.

Oh shit. Pam's brother... is Eric. The guy I slept with two nights ago.

I started to hyperventilating just as Pam walked in. "Sookie? Sweetie? What's wrong?" She rushed over and knelt in front of me.

"I...I..."

"Sookie? What?"

"I slept with your brother." I whispered. I could feel the tears pooling in my eyes.

She looked from me to the picture and back again, before she started laughing.

"Oh my god!" She wouldn't stop laughing at me. "Oh my god, I can't believe it!"

After a few minutes, she finally managed to wipe the tears from her eyes and calm down.

Her head jerked up, as if she'd had a sudden epiphany. "Shit. It's you."

"What's me?" I was very confused.

"You're the reason he's moving back here." She shook her head. "Damn, girl. You must be a stellar lay."

I grabbed a pillow from her couch and chucked it at her head. "Not funny Pamela! And I am not the reason he's moving here, so you just get that thought out of your head."

She ducked and laughed. "Okay, but maybe you are what he needs."

I shook my head. "I will not be your brothers next love 'em and leave 'em, got it? One night was great, but he's not the type of man I could ever have a relationship with."

"So I guess inviting you to the 'welcome to town' dinner I was thinking of having for him would be out of the question?" She smirked.

"You bet your ass it is. I doubt he even remembers me. But I'd be too embarrassed to even be in the same room as him, right now."

Pam just shook her head. "Well, you'll get a few months reprieve, I'm sure it's going to be a couple of months before he moves." She grinned. "And I'm sure you'll sleep with many men who will drive all thoughts of my brother from your head."

I shuddered. "No thanks. Who knows whose brother I'll sleep with next."

It was 8 weeks later when I realized I'd missed my period. Twice. Shit. There is no way I can be pregnant. We used a condom... I'm on the pill!

I was a mess during the day, and with Pam in meetings outside the office, I had no one I could talk to. No one knew that I had slept with her brother. Not even Amelia, who had gone to the club with me. All she knew was I had gone home with someone, she hadn't even seen him, being too absorbed in her "entertainment" for the evening.

I decided to leave work early and get a pregnancy test, or three, from the drug store on the way home.

I was a nervous wreck. Praying those little sticks wouldn't show a plus sign/smiley face/turn pink.

Three minutes.

The longest three minutes of my life.

I thought the waiting when you _wanted_ to be pregnant was bad; it had nothing on hoping you weren't.

Shit. All three were positive.

What was I going to do?

I needed to talk to Pam.

I left what I am sure was a frantic message on her voice mail, and spent the next hour waiting impatiently for her to call me back.

Even not wanting to be pregnant, I couldn't in good conscience drink. But boy did I wish I could.

Finally, the phone rang.

"Pam!"

"What's wrong? You sounded psycho on your message." Pam was never one to sugar coat things.

"I need you here. NOW!" Not wanting to argue, I hung up the phone and resumed my pacing.

Thankfully, Pam didn't believe in speed limits, so she arrived within minutes.

Not bothering to knock, she barged right in. "What the hell, Stackhouse?"

She stopped dead at the sight of the three tests on the living room table.

"Tell me you are not?" She looked at me.

I had to roll my eyes. "Do you really think I am freaking out over a NEGATIVE PREGNANCY TEST?"

Pam shook herself before she grabbed my hands and pulled me to the couch. "Alright, girl. Take a few deep breaths."

She waited until I did as she said, then she smacked me in the back of the head.

"Hey!" I glared at her.

"Now it is time to think this through calmly. I assume the baby is Eric's?"

"Pam! Of course it is! I haven't slept with anyone since him."

"Good. Now, do you want to keep this baby?"

I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch.

That was the question, wasn't it? Did I want to take the risk that I would loose this baby too? Could I really "take care of it" if there was even a chance I could keep it?

I finally looked at her. "I can't kill this baby." I said, the tears started streaming down my face as I rested my hands on my abdomen.

Pam reached over to hug me. "Okay. So now you need to tell Eric."

I felt the panic start to creep back in, at her words.

Shaking my head, I made a snap decision. "No. I'm not telling him until I know I won't loose this baby."

"But-"

"No, Pam! If I loose this baby too, I will not let it break his heart as well. I'm not telling anyone else, until I know I have a chance at keeping this baby."

Pam stared at me for a minute, then reluctantly gave in. "Okay."

With that decided, I made an appointment to see my doctor the next day.

Pam came to all of my appointments with me, she was my rock every time I spotted and for every twinge that I was sure was my losing the baby.

After fifteen weeks of doctor's appointments and ultrasounds every second week, my doctor was cautiously optimistic about my chances of carrying the baby to term. I had never made it to week fifteen before.

As we left the doctor's office, where he told me I could scale back my appointments from weekly to every two weeks, Pam turned to me expectantly.

"So now we're going to tell him, right? You are starting to show, and I think it's only fair that he know." Pam was gearing up to argue with me, when I interrupted her.

"Pam. I know." I smiled and rubbed my barely there bump. "I want him to know. I don't know if he will want to be a part of this baby's life, but either way, he has a right to know."

I was more than ready to let other people know about this baby. As the weeks progressed, and I got further and further into my pregnancy, I found myself anxious to tell others of the joy I was feeling.

I was healing from all the hurt Quinn had inflicted on me. I wasn't defective.

I was helping Pam set the table when the doorbell rang, causing me to nearly drop the plates.

"It's just Eric, Sookie."

Pam decided the best way to do it was at her place over dinner. Eric had moved to Shreveport a month prior, and Pam was sure he wouldn't ask when he received a dinner invitation from his big sister.

Pam smiled at me. "It will be fine. Go sit in the living room and I'll bring him in."

I nodded and checked to make sure my cardigan covered my barely there bump, not wanting him to see it right away, before I went to sit down.

I heard Pam open the door and the murmur of voices as she greeted her brother. The father of my baby. Oh god. I had to take a couple of deep breaths before they came into the room.

"So where's this friend you want me to meet? What was her name? Sookie?" There was his voice. A voice that I hadn't heard in months. The voice that had been haunting my dreams since I found out I was pregnant.

"She's in the living room."

I looked up as Pam led him into the room.

He stopped short as soon as he saw me. "Susanna?" I'd forgotten that I'd given him my full name the night we met.

I smiled tentatively. "Actually, everyone calls me Sookie."

Eric looked between me and Pam a few times. No doubt confused as to why I was in her house.

"You- you work with Pam?" He narrowed his gaze at me.

I nodded as Pam pushed him into a chair. "Yes, but I didn't know you were her brother until after we had... hooked up." I blushed at the reminder of our night together.

"Oh."

Pam took a seat beside me on the couch, no doubt for moral support. I had decided to get the big stuff out in the open, and tell him right away.

Taking a deep breath, I jumped right in.

"Eric. There is something you should know." I cleared my throat. "Um... I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna put it out there. I'm pregnant, and, short of immaculate conception, you are the father."

He just stared at me. It was making me uneasy.

After a few minutes of silence, even Pam was starting to get antsy.

"Eric?"

He turned to her and after a minute started to laugh.

"Oh god. You are good. I mean, that was a dirty trick to play, sister mine. But you definitely had me there!"

Pam rolled her eyes at me. "Denial, thy name is Eric."

She threw a small cushion at him to get his attention. "Its not a joke, dumbass. Look."

She pulled me to my feet and opened my cardigan so he could see the bump that was highlighted my the tight t-shirt I was wearing.

That stopped his laughter abruptly.

"Shit."

Pam snorted. "Yeah."

"And you're sure-?" He was at a loss for words as he gestured between himself and my stomach.

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Yes, Eric. I am sure you are the father." No need to get into my complete lack of experience in this area.

Without another word he got up and left the room. A moment later we heard the front door slam.

It took a moment for it to register that he'd just left like that.

I turned to Pam as the tears started to form. "What-?"

"It's okay. I didn't hear his car start, so he's probably just outside. Let me go see if I can get him back in, okay?" She gave me a tight hug before heading out after her brother.

I slumped down onto the couch.

Of all the reactions I had expected, that wasn't anywhere on the list.

I couldn't believe that he'd just walk out like that. Is that was he did when things got tough? Nothing Pam had said about him gave me that impression, but maybe she was glossing over some things when she told me about him.

During the stress filled months leading to this day, Pam had been filling me in on her brother, telling me about their childhood, and what their family was like.

It was just the two of them, and she was so excited to be Auntie Pam. Even without her brother being the father, I know she would have been just as interested and supportive of me and the baby; but knowing it was her blood relation I was carrying made it all the more special, for both of us.

I just hoped her brother would come to feel the same.

It was twenty minutes before Pam came into the house. Alone.

She sat down and pulled me into a hug. "He's going to go home for the night."

I couldn't help it, I started to cry.

"It's okay, hun. He just needs some time. This is not something he ever thought he'd get to have. It's a little overwhelming."

I sat back and looked at her. "So, is he okay with it? I mean, I don't know what to think here, Pam. Of all the scenarios, him walking out was nowhere on the list."

Pam sighed. "He doesn't hate the idea. He doesn't seem to know what to think. But, I think he will be really excited once he wraps his head around the idea. You need to understand, he's had girls say they were pregnant before, and they never were. So now he has to try and get his head around to the idea that this time it's real. And he's going to be a daddy." She grinned at that thought. "He's going to be a great dad. Trust me."

I had no other choice. Here's hoping she was right.

It was three days before I heard from Eric.

I answered the knock at my door and was shocked to see him standing on my doorstep.

"Eric. Come in." I tried not to let my excitement at seeing him show too much. I had been starting to lose hope that he would come around, as Pam swore he would.

"Hi, Sookie." He followed me into the living room and sat beside me on the couch. "Look, I am sorry for the way I acted the other night. It was... inexcusable and not something I would normally do. I don't run away from problems." He shook his head and chuckled. "You really threw me for a loop though."

I had to laugh with him. "I know. Trust me. I don't know if Pam told you about my history..."

He nodded. "Yeah. She didn't think you would mind, and I wanted to know more about you, without the awkward conversation."

"I figured she would. Anyway, I was really scared about this whole thing." I gestured to my belly.

He nodded. "Yeah. I was a little upset when I realized how far along you must be. But I can understand wanting to wait. Though, I do wish I had known sooner. I would have been there for you... both of you." His eyes stayed locked on my stomach, so I took his hand and placed it on the bump.

He looked up at me and swallowed hard. "There's really...?"

I laughed. "Yes, Eric. There is really a baby in there." I had an idea. "Hold on one sec."

I got up and went back to my bedroom, quickly finding the item I wanted on my bedside table.

"Here." I handed the picture frame to him when I got back to his side.

He stared at the series of pictures for a few minutes. "Wow."

I couldn't help but grin."That's our baby."

"Can you tell what it is yet?"

I shook my head. "Probably in a few weeks. I've been calling it peanut." I looked at him in question. "What do you want? Boy or girl?"

He still hadn't taken his eyes off the ultrasound photos, running his fingers over the grainy images. "I don't know. I'd be happy either way." Finally he looked back up at me. "How about you?"

I shook my head. "After everything I've gone through, peanut could be purple with six toes and I'd be happy."

He laughed, and went to hand me the frame back.

I just pushed it back into his hands. "Keep it. I made it for you." I grinned. "Auntie Pam has one too."

He laughed. "Oh god. Auntie Pam. That is almost scary."

"She's been really great, actually. She's the only other person who knows. And she's been with me through it all."

"Good. I'm glad you had someone." He glanced back at the pictures. "And everything is okay? I mean, Pam said it was, but..."

"I'm fine, Eric. And so is peanut. The doctor is monitoring us very carefully. And so far, everything is right on track. Actually, if I weren't so sure about when we conceived, my doctor would think I was farther along than I am. This is going to be a big baby." I looked him up and down, then mock scowled. "For which I blame you."

He laughed heartily. "Yeah. I was a big baby too. Pam was tiny, long but thin."

"Apparently I should be having a baby with her." I joked.

"So... what are we going to do?" He asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, we are going to have a baby."

Rolling his eyes he glared at me. "I mean, when the baby is born. What does this mean for us, other than the fact that we are quite compatible in bed." There was the eyebrow waggle Pam was always talking about. "We don't know anything about each other."

I sat back and looked at him for a minute. "Well, I think we should just get to know each other, before we make any major decisions like that. You can come to all the doctor's appointments. We'll make decisions together from here on out. And when we get closer, we can figure out what we want to do. You could come over and see the baby any time you want, or we can try getting a place to raise the baby together." I took a deep breath. "And if we decide somewhere along the way that we want to be together, for us, and not just for the baby. Then we can do that too. I just... I'm not the kind of girl who sleeps with strangers. You were a one off for me, and while I will always care for you, because you gave me this amazing gift, I don't think I am the kind of girl you are used to dating."

Eric stared at me for a minute before abruptly swinging his body around, and moving to lay his head on my lap and press his lips to the bump.

"Hey, peanut. What do you think? I think your mom makes sense. We're going to be stuck with each other for years now, and you still have lots of growing to do in there. So maybe everything doesn't need to be worked out right now."

He rolled his eyes up towards me.

"I think you and I are going to be fine."

I grinned and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Yeah. I think we are."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So here it is, the second and final chapter. Sorry for the long wait, but Eric just did not want to co-operate with me. But I finally got it done. Hope the ending is satisfactory to everyone. **

**Lots of thanks to my beta Carolinagirl96a, she is awesome, as always. **

**I have more notes, but they'd spoil the ending, so I'm going to put them at the end. Enjoy! Reviews are love!**

I'd been in Shreveport for about six weeks when I got the dinner invitation from my sister, Pam. I'd barely seen her since my move from New Orleans, the hectic schedule I'd been keeping while trying to get the club started didn't leave me much time for my sister. Or my sex life.

I'd been celibate since that last visit to Shreveport before I moved. For some reason, none of the usual suspects, aka barflies, measured up to the girl I took home that night. I'm not sure why, she was hot, sure, but so were a lot of girls. She just had something that drew me to her. If she hadn't made it abundantly clear that all she wanted was sex, I might have even asked for her number before I left. Who knows, maybe that's just the way she is. But I doubted it. She didn't seem to be the bed hopping type, unlike myself.

So there I was, heading to my sister's house for dinner. She said she was inviting a friend, but I stopped listening after she assured me she wasn't trying to set me up with the woman.

I pulled into Pam's driveway and noticed the unfamiliar car already parked there; the friend must have gotten here early.

Walking up to the front door I ran a hand thru my hair before knocking. When Pam opened the door, she immediately pulled me into a hug; which was strange in and of itself.

"Pam? What's going on?" I pulled away to look her in the eye. If she wasn't my sister and I didn't know her as well as I do, I might have missed the slightly nervous look in her eyes.

"What? Nothings going on, Eric. You're paranoid." She scoffed.

"Uh huh. Is there something about this friend of yours I should know?"

"Know? No, nothing I can think of. Just be nice, okay?"

I had to smirk. "Pam, I'm always nice."

She just rolled her eyes before leading me to the living room.

"So where's this friend you want me to meet? What was her name? Sookie?" The only reason I remembered it, was because of how unusual it was.

"She's in the living room."

We rounded the corner and there she was, I was struck dumb for a moment.

"Susanna?" What was she doing in my sister's house? How did she know Pam?

She smiled at me. "Actually, everyone calls me Sookie."

I stared between the two of them for a moment before I remembered where Pam had said she knew her friend from.

"You work with Pam?"

She nodded as Pam pushed me into a chair.

"Yes, but I didn't know you were her brother until after we had... hooked up." The blush that stole across her cheeks and down her neck was adorable, and made me wonder how far down it went.

"Oh." I had no words for how strange this situation was to me.

Pam took a seat beside Sus-Sookie, who glanced at her before taking a deep breath.

"Eric. There is something you should know. Um... I don't know how to say this, so I'm just gonna put it out there. I'm pregnant, and, short of immaculate conception, you're the father."

I was dumbfounded. I'd had girls try to pull the pregnancy card on me before, but never had my sister gotten in on it.

There was only one explanation. Pam had found out I'd slept with her friend and the two of them decided to try and get one over me by saying I'd gotten her pregnant.

"Eric?"

I couldn't help but start laughing when she said my name. A full, deep from my gut, belly laugh.

"Oh god. You are good. I mean, that was a dirty trick to play, sister mine. But you definitely had me there!"

I was trying to control of myself when a pillow hit me in the head. I looked up just to see Pam drag Sookie to her feet and open her sweater. There was a plainly evident bump that hadn't been there the last time I saw her. There seemed to be no denying it. Sookie was pregnant.

"Shit." I was a man of many words tonight. "Are you sure-" I gestured between myself and her stomach, unable to even voice the thoughts running thru my head. There was no way that bump was mine though.

Sookie rolled her eyes, as if I was being completely unreasonable. "Yes, Eric. I am sure you are the father."

I looked from her to Pam, and seeing the complete lack of humour in Pam's eyes; I had to get out of there. I got up and walked out of the house.

I leaned up against my car, my very un-child-friendly car, and took a few deep breaths.

This was not happening. I wasn't prepared to have a kid. And what did Sookie want from me? Was she expecting me to put a ring on her finger now? Or was this just a courtesy call? 'Just so you know, you're about to be a father, expect a call from my lawyer.' No, that didn't seem like the kind of person Sookie was. If I had to guess, I'd say she was going to give me a choice of being in this kids life or not, but if I chose door number one; I'm guessing a weekend dad is not what she had in mind.

Shit. I don't even know if she's ok. Or why she took so long to tell me. I mean, its been over three months since we hooked up, so she has to have known for awhile. Was there something wrong with the baby? With her?

I debated going inside to ask these questions, but I just couldn't get my feet to work.

I must have zoned out for a minute, because the next thing I knew, Pam was standing in front of me; arms crossed and foot tapping.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Eric?"

I glared at her. "Excuse me Pam, but what exactly did you expect from me? Did you think I'd be jumping up and down and planning the kid's bedroom? Do you not remember what kind of life I lead? The only long term relationship I've ever had; we were only together when it was convenient." I closed my eyes and leaned back against the car again. "I don't know that I'm cut out to be a dad, sister mine."

I opened my eyes just in time to see hers soften before she stepped forward to hug me.

"I think you need to spend a little time thinking about this. I know Sookie was hoping you'd be as excited as she is, but you need to think before you talk to her. Figure out what it is that you want. Both with her and with the kid."

I sighed before letting her go and nodding. "You're right. I can't- I can't go back in there right now. Can you tell her I'll talk to her soon?"

She nodded before kissing my cheek and heading into the house. "Think carefully, brother mine, you only get to make this choice once."

I drove home in a fog of some kind. I had no idea where to start on the list of things I now had to deal with.

The first thing I needed to do was figure out what I wanted, I guess. Did I want to be a dad? Yes. I'd always assumed I'd be a father one day. I just expected to be married when it happened. Though it was a miracle it hadn't happened already, given the number of women I'd fucked.

So that was the easy question; yes, I do want to be a dad.

I'd never been the type of guy to run from his responsibilities, so walking away and leaving Sookie to raise this child on her own, wasn't an option.

Next question; what kind of relationship did I want to have with Sookie? Before I could answer that, I needed some sort of idea as to what _she_ wanted from me. And there was only one place to get that information, without going straight to the source, which I wasn't prepared to do at the moment.

After a sleepless night, I gave my sister a call.

"Eric? You alright?" Pam was unusually concerned, but given the activities of the night before, I couldn't really blame her.

I gave a shaky laugh. "About at well as I can be, I guess." I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair as I paced the length of my living room. "I need to know something."

"Ok, what?"

"What does Sookie want from me? I mean, is she expecting a ring and marriage before this baby is born?"

"What if she was? Would that be so bad?"

"Pam! I've barely had a conversation with the woman! I don't even know that I like her, let alone would be interested in marrying her!"

Pam snickered. "I know. I just wanted to make sure you knew how bad an idea it would be. No, she's not expecting anything like that from you. She just wants the baby to have a dad. You need to talk to her about what that means for both of you."

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "Thanks Pammy. That's all I needed."

"Just be smart, brother mine. This could be a good thing for you."

"Yeah." I hung up the phone without another word.

It was two days later before I had it together enough to go and talk to Sookie. I'd done a lot of thinking; and talked to Pam a couple more times, she'd told me a bit of Sookie's history. About her loser ex-fiance and how they weren't able to get pregnant. It made it easier for me to understand why she had waited for so long to tell me about the baby. I didn't like being kept out of the loop, but I understood it better.

Three days after I walked out of Pam's house; I was standing on Sookie's doorstep.

To say she seemed surprised to see me, was an understatement.

"Eric. Come in."

"Hi, Sookie." I followed her from the front door into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. "Look, I am sorry for the way I acted the other night. It was... inexcusable and not something I would normally do. I don't run away from problems. You really threw me for a loop though." I chuckled.

She laughed with me. "I know. Trust me. I don't know if Pam told you about my history..." She trailed off.

"Yeah. She didn't think you would mind, and I wanted to know more about you, without the awkward conversation."

"I figured she would. Anyway, I was really scared about this whole thing." She gestured towards her belly.

I nodded, I figured as much. "Yeah. I was a little upset when I realized how far along you must be. But I can understand wanting to wait. Though, I do wish I had known sooner. I would have been there for you... both of you." I couldn't take my eyes off her stomach. It seemed unreal that there was a tiny human in there.

She took my hand and placed it on her tiny bump.

"There's really...?" I looked up to see her eyes laughing at me.

"Yes, Eric. There is really a baby in there. Hold on one sec." She stood and quickly left the room. Leaving me alone with my many thoughts.

It was one thing to accept the idea of being a father, it was another to see the evidence in her body.

I looked up when I heard her footsteps coming back into the room.

"Here." She handed me a picture frame with a blurry black and white photo in it. It looked like a blob inside of another blob.

It took me a second to realize what it was I was holding. It was my kid's first picture. "Wow." I was eloquent tonight.

"That's our baby."

I looked up into her grinning face; it was obvious she was enjoying my reaction. "Can you tell what it is yet?"

She shook her head. "Probably in a few weeks. I've been calling it peanut." She paused, looking at me in question. "What do you want? Boy or girl?"

My eyes were glued to the picture again. I traced the little blob that she had pointed out as the baby.

"I don't know. I'd be happy either way. How about you?" I looked up to see her shake her head.

"After everything I've gone through, peanut could be purple with six toes and I'd be happy."

I laughed hard at that, understanding exactly what she was talking about. I handed the frame back to her, but she pushed it back into my hands. "Keep it. I made it for you." She grinned. "Auntie Pam has one too."

I laughed and shuddered at the same time. "Oh god. Auntie Pam. That is almost scary."

"She's been really great, actually. She's the only other person who knows. And she's been with me through it all."

"Good. I'm glad you had someone. And everything is okay? I mean, Pam said it was, but..."

"I'm fine, Eric. And so is peanut. The doctor is monitoring us very carefully. And so far, everything is right on track. Actually, if I weren't so sure about when we conceived, my doctor would think I was farther along than I am. This is going to be a big baby." She scowled at me. "For which I blame you."

I laughed again. "Yeah. Sorry. I was a big baby too. Pam was tiny, long but thin."

"Apparently I should be having a baby with her." She laughed.

"So... what are we going to do?" I nervously asked.

"Well, we are going to have a baby."

I rolled my eyes. "I mean, when the baby is born. What does this mean for us, other than the fact that we are quite compatible in bed." I smirked at her. "We don't know anything about each other."

She stared at me for a minute, obviously thinking about how to answer. "Well, I think we should just get to know each other, before we make any major decisions like that. You can come to all the doctor's appointments. We'll make decisions together from here on out. And when we get closer, we can figure out what we want to do. You could come over and see the baby any time you want, or we can try getting a place to raise the baby together." She paused and took a deep breath. "And if we decide somewhere along the way that we want to be together, for us, and not just for the baby. Then we can do that too. I just... I'm not the kind of girl who sleeps with strangers. You were a one off for me, and while I will always care for you, because you gave me this amazing gift, I don't think I am the kind of girl you are used to dating."

I looked into her face, seeing the truth of her words. She was right. She was the exact opposite of what I was used to dating. I knew we had a lot of getting to know each other to do, but I was sure we could make this work. She was just the kind of woman I needed in my life, I think.

Finally, I broke eye contact and swung around to lay my head on her lap, my lips pressed against her tummy.

"Hey, peanut. What do you think? I think your mom makes sense. We're going to be stuck with each other for years now, and you still have lots of growing to do in there. So maybe everything doesn't need to be worked out right now." I turned my head to look up at her. "I think you and I are going to be fine."

She wiped the tears that had formed from her eyes. "Yeah. I think we are."

The day was finally here. I'd been woken up by Sookie throwing a shoe at my head at 3am. It was her gentle way of telling me she was in labour and to get my ass out of bed. Why didn't babies ever come during the day? Not one of the women I'd talked to in the months we'd spent preparing for this, had said that they'd gone into labour at 11am, it was always a frantic rush out the door in the middle of the night. And for what? We got here five hours ago, and we were barely any closer to holding our child. That's right, Sookie refused to find out what it was. She wanted to be surprised. I didn't deal well with surprises, not really. How was I going to know what colour to paint the nursery, if I didn't know what we were having? And everything had to be gender neutral! It was enough to make a control freak like myself lose his mind.

But none of that mattered now. We were at the hospital and Sookie had progressed enough to get the good drugs, so she'd stopped threatening to castrate me in my sleep, at least for now. With the drugs kicking in, Sookie was taking this time to nap, knowing she'd need all her strength to get through the pushing part if the program. And I was taking the time to reflect on the last few months. I was ready for this kid, or as ready as I could be.

In the months after finding out I was going to be a dad, Sookie and I had really taken the time to get to know one another.

I'd told her all about mine and Pam's childhood, and she did the same. I learned she had a brother, who was less than happy with her pregnant state. When I finally did meet him, he demanded to know why I hadn't put a ring on his sister's finger. Sookie took care of him really quick, a smack to the head and a lecture that made me fear ever getting on her bad side, and he was dealing with it better than I had hoped.

In the sixth month of pregnancy; we moved Sookie out of her small rented townhouse and into one of the 3 bedrooms in my house. It allowed me to keep her close in case something happened, and let us explore our relationship.

Three weeks after she moved in, and while she could still move relatively well, I took Sookie out on our first date.

We both admitted to being attracted to each other, not just physically, but in all the other ways that mattered too. And I was pretty sure I would be putting a ring on her finger, one day soon.

I was pulled out of my musings by Sookie stirring in the bed. I immediately looked to the monitor that told me when she was having a contraction, and could tell it was a big one.

"You okay?" I got up to hold her hand.

"I think the drugs are starting to wear off." She pouted as the contraction ended.

I did my best to suppress my smile; she looked cute when she pouted, but I knew that sentiment wouldn't be appreciated by me at this time.

"I'll go get the doctor, okay?"

She just nodded and tried to find a more comfortable position.

When the doctor finally made it to the room and checked her; he looked up with a smile. "Looks like we are almost ready to push, Sookie."

I sighed in relief; the drugs weren't doing much of anything for her anymore, and pushing meant the pain was almost over.

Within minutes the doctor was joined by nurses and I was helping Sookie get ready to push.

Thirty minutes later, I was being presented with my daughter. I've never fallen so hard and fast for a person in my life. Even covered in goo and screaming her head off, she was perfect.

I reluctantly handed her off to the nurse to be weighed and cleaned up, before joining Sookie on her bed.

She curled into my body and sighed. "I didn't mean any of that stuff I said."

I laughed softly as I recalled the imaginative ways she threatened to make this my only child.

"I know, lover."

The nurse brought the baby back to us and we both just stared at her while she slept in my arms.

"So... what are we going to call her?" Sookie whispered.

"Hallie." I kissed the tops of both my girl's heads. "We should call her Hallie."

"Perfect"

**AN: Just a word about Hallie's birth. I've never had kids, so any inaccuracies are my own. **

**Hope you liked it!**


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